The men watched Kurt with mock horror, and then it melted into real horror
just as swiftly. When Kurt opened his mouth, his canines were slowly
growing longer and sharper. His yellow eyes began to glow, and they melted
away until his entire eye was just yellow and glowing. His ears became
pointed, and his body slowly began to shift, his skin becoming covered in a
blue fur. With a rip, his shoes were torn off as his feet became larger and
more disfigured. A tail shot up, and spit into a spade on the tip.
Before the bounty hunters knew what was happening, Kurt slipped free of hid bonds, and his tail was wrapped around the closest man's throat. With a twist, he snapped his neck and hurled him at the others. Before they could figure out what was going on, Kurt sprang forward, grabbing his rapiers and drawing them. He moved swiftly, teleporting and leaping around, slitting throats and stabbing backs. When he was done, the only one left was the one who had spit on his face.
Smiling, Kurt stepped back, going into the en garde position. "Come on zhen! See if you can avenge your friends!" he spat at him, baring his fangs. The man charged, raising his sword up high. Kurt merely had to step to the side, then he merely stabbed forward, slaying the man instantly.
Laughing, he pulled his rapier out, and he looked into the trees. "You can come out now!" he called. Logan came out laughing, and he struck Kurt lightly on the back, splitting the ten gold Scott had been forced to pay up.
Warren was a bit hesitant to come out.
"Vhat's the matter?" Kurt asked, placing his hands on his hips. Seeing the look on Warren's face, he laughed and shrugged. "I suppose zhis surprised you a bit, ja? Vell hold on a moment." Slowly, he turned back to a normal human, his tail being the last thing to go. "Better?"
"You killed them all!" Warren gasped softly, walking up slowly. Kurt laughed, shrugging.
"Vell, zhat vas zhe general idea!" he said. He and the others started to loot the bodies, stuffing valuables into their bags. When they had finished, they made the fire stronger and sat down.
"And you guys knew he could turn into a demon?" Warren asked, looking at Scott and Logan.
"Yup."
"And that he could kill people like that?"
"Yup."
"And you didn't tell me that!?"
"Yup." Warren frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well I don't see why you can be so calm about this!" he snapped finally. Kurt laughed, laying on his side, propping his head up by one hand.
"Are you zhat upset?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"As a matter of fact; yes!" Warren snapped.
Logan rolled his eyes, listening to the two argue back and forth. He looked through one of the men's bags and he found a rolled up piece of parchment. Unrolling it, he read it to himself, frowning a bit.
"Hey guys, it looks like they weren't just looking for Raven." He said, turning to the others.
"Who else were they looking for?" Scott asked. Logan checked the list, cocking an eyebrow slightly.
"Hank McCoy, Charles Xavier, Margali, Amanda Sefton, and someone named Erik Lensherr." He read. He looked at the others, his eyebrows raised slightly. "I think I'm seeing a pattern here."
"What kind of pattern?" Warren asked, cocking his head slightly in confusion. Scott rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
"Did you crawl out from under a rock? All those people on the list are either really intelligent, or really powerful in the magic or gifted sense." Scott explained.
"The question is," Logan said, "why is the King after them?"
"Vell I zhink ve should go und ask Raven vhy zhey are after her." Kurt suggested. Logan cocked an eyebrow slightly.
"Are you sure she'll let us into her house?" he asked. "You remember what happened the last time we came over right?"
"She doesn't hold grudges for long." Kurt assured him.
"How do you know so much about this witch?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Vell, considering she is my mutter und all."
"WHAT?!" Logan sighed, pressing two fingers against the bridge of his nose.
"This is going to be a long night." He mumbled to Scott. Nodding, Scott rolled out two sleeping bags.
"We might as well get some sleep now." As the two laid down, Kurt and Warren continued to argue back and forth, until they finally fell asleep themselves.
The next morning, Warren awoke and he found that only Scott was sleeping around the dying fire. Logan and Kurt were gone. Standing up, he stretched his wings out, ruffling them a bit. Soft mutters from far off caught his attention, and he headed that way, trying to be as quiet as possible. He found Kurt, sitting tailor style on the ground, muttering softly.
"Vater Unser im Himmel, Geheiligt werde Dein Name, Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe, Wie im Himmel, so auf Erden. Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute, Und vergib uns unsere Schuld, Wie auch wir vergeben unseren Schuldigern. Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, Sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen. Denn Dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit, in Ewigkeit." Warren took a step back, causing a twig to snap. Kurt stopped, turning his head sharply.
Seeing it was only Warren, he relaxed and stood up. "Did I vake you?" he asked.
"No, I was all ready awake. Scott's still sleeping and Logan's gone too." Warren said, still a little surprised. Kurt placed his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you surprised zhat I vas praying?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, Kurt brushed past Warren, and he started to pack up his things, smacking Scott in the process.
"I'm awake!" Scott shouted, sitting up. "I swear I was so awake!" Rolling his eyes, Kurt stood up, his pack over one shoulder.
"Shut up. Logan has all ready gone off!" he snapped, starting to walk off.
"How does he know where Logan went?" Warren asked, waiting for Scott.
" Logan made an easy trail for us to follow. He never likes to wait around when we have to go visit someone like Raven."
"She really is Kurt's mother though?"
"Oh of course. If you've ever seen her, she looks exactly like he does when he goes into his demon form." Scott said, spotting Logan up a head. When they finally caught up with the two, Logan had his head raised, and he was sniffing the air slightly. He cocked an eyebrow, looking over at Kurt.
"She moved her castle again?" he asked. Kurt shrugged, looking around.
"News to me."
"She can move her castle?" Warren piped in. Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Ja, my mutter can move her castle around. She is a vitch. Zhey can do zhat. Now please refrain from asking stupid questions." He warned softly. With that, they moved on in silence, moving through the trees without much noise, except for Warren's wings brushing up against branches, causing birds to scatter about, squawking loudly.
When the trees became scarce, Warren saw a large tower that was worn down, with a large gaping hole in the ceiling. It was made from ancient looking brick, pieces falling off in little showers with every little wind blow. As they got closer, they could hear the wood from the roof groaning from the strain of old age.
The gates were drawn, but it was really useless, since there were huge maggot eaten holes where a person could simply walk through. Kurt held up a hand, stopping everyone from going inside.
"I zhink I should go inside und talk to her first." He said. Nodding, Logan stepped back, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Be careful, Kurt."
Smiling, Kurt shrugged and he stepped inside. The tower was lit by rows of white candles, some resting on old rotting tables, others simply floating in mid-air. There was a spiraling flight of stairs, which were broken in some places, others missing large chunks. Looking up the stairs, Kurt saw a small light coming from the only room upstairs.
"Mutter? Mutter, I'm here vith my friends." He called.
"Go away!" a voice hissed softly. Sighing, Kurt shook his head, placing his hands on his hips.
"Vhy don't you vant to see me?" he asked, trying to sound as calm and friendly as possible. "It is very important zhat I und my friends see you, mutter. It's been so long!"
"My son! He comes here in his disgusting human form, and he brings his friends with him! You just want to take me to the King! I know you; greedy boy!" Raven hissed softly. With a sigh, Kurt transformed into his demon form.
"I'm in my demon form now, mutter. May I please come up zhere? Ve are not planning on taking you to zhe King!" he swore. He waited for a few moments in silence, placing his hands on his hips.
"Very well then. Come up here." With a BAMF, Kurt was standing in the doorway of her room. Raven sat on an old bed, dressed in a white dress that seemed more suited to a woman working in a brothel than a witch. Her skin was a deep blue, making her yellow eyes seem to glow brighter than usual. Tilting her head to one side, she caused a few strands of her short red hair to fall in front of her face. Smiling, she got up and embraced her son.
"That is my son! Not that filthy version you use when you leave here!" she laughed, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes.
"Mutter, can my friends come in?" Kurt asked.
"There's someone else with the usual two. He has blue skin and white wings." Raven said softly.
"Ja, he is a new friend named Varren. Can he come in too?" Kurt asked.
"Very well. Call your friends inside. This Warren is getting close to being stabbed by Logan with his constant questions anyway." Kurt laughed softly and he shook his head, taking her hands carefully. He teleported them downstairs, and he turned back to his human form.
"Mutter says you can come in now." He announced.
"I swear to God, Warren! If you ask one more question, I'm going to run you through with my claws." Logan growled, stepping inside, his claws all ready out. Kurt looked over at his mother, stifling a laugh. Logan rolled his eyes, sliding his claws into place.
"This may sound dumb." Scott started.
"I know the King is after me." Raven said.
"So why is he?" Logan asked. "Did you kill another noble?"
"People claim that my price has gotten too high for that anymore. I merely sell potions and charms to stupid love struck teenagers now." Raven said. "As for the King's reasons, I honestly have no idea. For someone my spells can't pierce into his thinking. Margali and her daughter Amanda couldn't do it either with their spells." She added.
"Do you know vhere zhey are?" Kurt asked.
"No, they were captured. The King has captured everyone except Hank McCoy." She said simply.
"Then we need to find this Hank McCoy and see if he knows what's going on. If he doesn't, then we're going to the King." Logan said, his voice getting very soft and dangerous.
"That will have to wait." Raven said.
"Why?"
There was a blast of fire and brick as a cannon ball ripped through the wall, just barely missing Scott's head. From the hole came a troop of twenty knights. At the head stood a mounted lord, who pointed his lance at Raven.
"In the name of his majesty, King Graydon Creed the First; I place you and your son's colleagues under arrest! Will you come quietly or not?"
Before the bounty hunters knew what was happening, Kurt slipped free of hid bonds, and his tail was wrapped around the closest man's throat. With a twist, he snapped his neck and hurled him at the others. Before they could figure out what was going on, Kurt sprang forward, grabbing his rapiers and drawing them. He moved swiftly, teleporting and leaping around, slitting throats and stabbing backs. When he was done, the only one left was the one who had spit on his face.
Smiling, Kurt stepped back, going into the en garde position. "Come on zhen! See if you can avenge your friends!" he spat at him, baring his fangs. The man charged, raising his sword up high. Kurt merely had to step to the side, then he merely stabbed forward, slaying the man instantly.
Laughing, he pulled his rapier out, and he looked into the trees. "You can come out now!" he called. Logan came out laughing, and he struck Kurt lightly on the back, splitting the ten gold Scott had been forced to pay up.
Warren was a bit hesitant to come out.
"Vhat's the matter?" Kurt asked, placing his hands on his hips. Seeing the look on Warren's face, he laughed and shrugged. "I suppose zhis surprised you a bit, ja? Vell hold on a moment." Slowly, he turned back to a normal human, his tail being the last thing to go. "Better?"
"You killed them all!" Warren gasped softly, walking up slowly. Kurt laughed, shrugging.
"Vell, zhat vas zhe general idea!" he said. He and the others started to loot the bodies, stuffing valuables into their bags. When they had finished, they made the fire stronger and sat down.
"And you guys knew he could turn into a demon?" Warren asked, looking at Scott and Logan.
"Yup."
"And that he could kill people like that?"
"Yup."
"And you didn't tell me that!?"
"Yup." Warren frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well I don't see why you can be so calm about this!" he snapped finally. Kurt laughed, laying on his side, propping his head up by one hand.
"Are you zhat upset?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"As a matter of fact; yes!" Warren snapped.
Logan rolled his eyes, listening to the two argue back and forth. He looked through one of the men's bags and he found a rolled up piece of parchment. Unrolling it, he read it to himself, frowning a bit.
"Hey guys, it looks like they weren't just looking for Raven." He said, turning to the others.
"Who else were they looking for?" Scott asked. Logan checked the list, cocking an eyebrow slightly.
"Hank McCoy, Charles Xavier, Margali, Amanda Sefton, and someone named Erik Lensherr." He read. He looked at the others, his eyebrows raised slightly. "I think I'm seeing a pattern here."
"What kind of pattern?" Warren asked, cocking his head slightly in confusion. Scott rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
"Did you crawl out from under a rock? All those people on the list are either really intelligent, or really powerful in the magic or gifted sense." Scott explained.
"The question is," Logan said, "why is the King after them?"
"Vell I zhink ve should go und ask Raven vhy zhey are after her." Kurt suggested. Logan cocked an eyebrow slightly.
"Are you sure she'll let us into her house?" he asked. "You remember what happened the last time we came over right?"
"She doesn't hold grudges for long." Kurt assured him.
"How do you know so much about this witch?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Vell, considering she is my mutter und all."
"WHAT?!" Logan sighed, pressing two fingers against the bridge of his nose.
"This is going to be a long night." He mumbled to Scott. Nodding, Scott rolled out two sleeping bags.
"We might as well get some sleep now." As the two laid down, Kurt and Warren continued to argue back and forth, until they finally fell asleep themselves.
The next morning, Warren awoke and he found that only Scott was sleeping around the dying fire. Logan and Kurt were gone. Standing up, he stretched his wings out, ruffling them a bit. Soft mutters from far off caught his attention, and he headed that way, trying to be as quiet as possible. He found Kurt, sitting tailor style on the ground, muttering softly.
"Vater Unser im Himmel, Geheiligt werde Dein Name, Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe, Wie im Himmel, so auf Erden. Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute, Und vergib uns unsere Schuld, Wie auch wir vergeben unseren Schuldigern. Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, Sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen. Denn Dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit, in Ewigkeit." Warren took a step back, causing a twig to snap. Kurt stopped, turning his head sharply.
Seeing it was only Warren, he relaxed and stood up. "Did I vake you?" he asked.
"No, I was all ready awake. Scott's still sleeping and Logan's gone too." Warren said, still a little surprised. Kurt placed his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you surprised zhat I vas praying?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, Kurt brushed past Warren, and he started to pack up his things, smacking Scott in the process.
"I'm awake!" Scott shouted, sitting up. "I swear I was so awake!" Rolling his eyes, Kurt stood up, his pack over one shoulder.
"Shut up. Logan has all ready gone off!" he snapped, starting to walk off.
"How does he know where Logan went?" Warren asked, waiting for Scott.
" Logan made an easy trail for us to follow. He never likes to wait around when we have to go visit someone like Raven."
"She really is Kurt's mother though?"
"Oh of course. If you've ever seen her, she looks exactly like he does when he goes into his demon form." Scott said, spotting Logan up a head. When they finally caught up with the two, Logan had his head raised, and he was sniffing the air slightly. He cocked an eyebrow, looking over at Kurt.
"She moved her castle again?" he asked. Kurt shrugged, looking around.
"News to me."
"She can move her castle?" Warren piped in. Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Ja, my mutter can move her castle around. She is a vitch. Zhey can do zhat. Now please refrain from asking stupid questions." He warned softly. With that, they moved on in silence, moving through the trees without much noise, except for Warren's wings brushing up against branches, causing birds to scatter about, squawking loudly.
When the trees became scarce, Warren saw a large tower that was worn down, with a large gaping hole in the ceiling. It was made from ancient looking brick, pieces falling off in little showers with every little wind blow. As they got closer, they could hear the wood from the roof groaning from the strain of old age.
The gates were drawn, but it was really useless, since there were huge maggot eaten holes where a person could simply walk through. Kurt held up a hand, stopping everyone from going inside.
"I zhink I should go inside und talk to her first." He said. Nodding, Logan stepped back, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Be careful, Kurt."
Smiling, Kurt shrugged and he stepped inside. The tower was lit by rows of white candles, some resting on old rotting tables, others simply floating in mid-air. There was a spiraling flight of stairs, which were broken in some places, others missing large chunks. Looking up the stairs, Kurt saw a small light coming from the only room upstairs.
"Mutter? Mutter, I'm here vith my friends." He called.
"Go away!" a voice hissed softly. Sighing, Kurt shook his head, placing his hands on his hips.
"Vhy don't you vant to see me?" he asked, trying to sound as calm and friendly as possible. "It is very important zhat I und my friends see you, mutter. It's been so long!"
"My son! He comes here in his disgusting human form, and he brings his friends with him! You just want to take me to the King! I know you; greedy boy!" Raven hissed softly. With a sigh, Kurt transformed into his demon form.
"I'm in my demon form now, mutter. May I please come up zhere? Ve are not planning on taking you to zhe King!" he swore. He waited for a few moments in silence, placing his hands on his hips.
"Very well then. Come up here." With a BAMF, Kurt was standing in the doorway of her room. Raven sat on an old bed, dressed in a white dress that seemed more suited to a woman working in a brothel than a witch. Her skin was a deep blue, making her yellow eyes seem to glow brighter than usual. Tilting her head to one side, she caused a few strands of her short red hair to fall in front of her face. Smiling, she got up and embraced her son.
"That is my son! Not that filthy version you use when you leave here!" she laughed, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes.
"Mutter, can my friends come in?" Kurt asked.
"There's someone else with the usual two. He has blue skin and white wings." Raven said softly.
"Ja, he is a new friend named Varren. Can he come in too?" Kurt asked.
"Very well. Call your friends inside. This Warren is getting close to being stabbed by Logan with his constant questions anyway." Kurt laughed softly and he shook his head, taking her hands carefully. He teleported them downstairs, and he turned back to his human form.
"Mutter says you can come in now." He announced.
"I swear to God, Warren! If you ask one more question, I'm going to run you through with my claws." Logan growled, stepping inside, his claws all ready out. Kurt looked over at his mother, stifling a laugh. Logan rolled his eyes, sliding his claws into place.
"This may sound dumb." Scott started.
"I know the King is after me." Raven said.
"So why is he?" Logan asked. "Did you kill another noble?"
"People claim that my price has gotten too high for that anymore. I merely sell potions and charms to stupid love struck teenagers now." Raven said. "As for the King's reasons, I honestly have no idea. For someone my spells can't pierce into his thinking. Margali and her daughter Amanda couldn't do it either with their spells." She added.
"Do you know vhere zhey are?" Kurt asked.
"No, they were captured. The King has captured everyone except Hank McCoy." She said simply.
"Then we need to find this Hank McCoy and see if he knows what's going on. If he doesn't, then we're going to the King." Logan said, his voice getting very soft and dangerous.
"That will have to wait." Raven said.
"Why?"
There was a blast of fire and brick as a cannon ball ripped through the wall, just barely missing Scott's head. From the hole came a troop of twenty knights. At the head stood a mounted lord, who pointed his lance at Raven.
"In the name of his majesty, King Graydon Creed the First; I place you and your son's colleagues under arrest! Will you come quietly or not?"